Cartographic applications of model-based optimization

Model-based optimization (MBO) is a paradigm in which an objective function is used to express both geometric and photometric constraints on features of interest. A parametric model of a feature (such as a road, a building, or coastline) is extracted from one or more images by adjusting the model's state variables until a minimum value of the objective function is obtained. The optimization procedure yields a description that simultaneously satisfies (or nearly satisfies) all constraints, and, as a result, is likely to be a good model of the feature.